"This large illustrated manuscript planisphere on vellum presents the first cartographic record of exploration in North America after the portrayal of the Cabot landfall on the la Cosa chart (#305). The mapmaker, Juan Vespucci, nephew of Amerigo Vespucci, had made several voyages to American waters, according to Peter Martyr, the first Spanish historian of the Indies. After Amerigo’s death at Seville in 1512, Juan, who had inherited his famous uncle’s maps, charts, and nautical instruments, was appointed to Amerigo’s former position as official Spanish government Pilot at Seville."